Leaderboard

Im super pumped to be marching my first year in World Class DCI! Probably be signing off this forum for good. Thanks to everyone for helping me learn more about the activity.

One of these is true: 1) The tarp is part of the off season visual program. It is an important tool for learning the dot system. 2) It is there to protect the members from the purple cobra that lives at the center of the Rosemont elementary school gym 3) It's simply a floor cover to protect the floor

This is a big challenge. As a long time food truck volunteer, this is a constant priority and yet a struggle nonetheless. Over the years we usually had a dozen or two individuals every tour who were vegetarians or had specific dietary needs. We accounted for them each and every meal, but it was never perfect. Our failures were seldom for lack of consideration. There were times when our execution came up short. There were other times when certain individual's expectations just weren't realistic. Just like at home, sometimes the fridge isn't well stocked, limiting the options. Other times we nailed it (my vegan tofu masala was a big hit!). One of the biggest challenges we faced was protecting the "special" meals from those simply shopping for other options. I'm not blaming those on special diets. Nor am I letting the cooks off the hook. I'm just saying cooking for 200 four times a day isn't easy. Everyone - those with special needs and those without - has room to complain. Just be sure to thank the cook too. HH

Was able to attend this past Sunday's ensemble practice with brass and percussion and can confirm the very solid talent levels these sections, and that music for this season will be demanding( but also, based upon the Opener heard anyway, should be appealing to most audiences as well, imo )

Nice camp recap from Boston (on their website) where they say they've worked on putting the first 4 minutes of their program together and had a lot of housekeeping items reviewed with staff and membership. Far different than in my day. Unlike BITD, hey review medical, policies on reporting, hazing, DCI policy, physical assessments and on and on. Pretty cool to do a level set of expectations on being part of the org. It leaves no questions for everyone involved. The biggest takeaway so far is that there is significant improvement in brass players and music (difficult and complex book). I know we hear that from all org's., but Boston lately has been conservative in their descriptions about what they are doing. This is exciting news.

I figured it was water from a questionable housing site!!! haha congrats BoaDci! Have fun! Remember when your whole body hurts, everyone else is hurting too and you're all in it together!

there's this mindset thats creeped in since the 70's that ones score should go up every single show out there. because of complaints from that and the directors that made them, have led more to any slotting conspiracy claims than actual judges made. They wanted it that way, and now, boom, they get it, and when they dont see the score they think their art deserves, its slotting.

no comment. If Im right though, theyll get on the radar pretty quickly (in a good way).

There will be no singing this year

Hello everyone As the Creative Director of Encorps, New Jersey's newest Drum Corps, I would like to announce our status, and our final audition this Sunday, January 28th at Brooks Crossing Elementary School in Monmouth Jct NJ. The Battery is full (10/5/6) as is Front Ensemble (12 plus drumset and percussion) however, the Brass section and Guard are still signing up members. We will be a DCI Soundsport group this year, however, we are doing a regular DCI field show and will be in exhibition at many shows, including: JUNE 16: DCA SHOW Cabs at the Beach, Wildwood, NJ JULY 5th: DCI WORLD CLASS Show, Cadets, Clifton, NJ JULY 14th: DCA SHOW Caballeros Grand Prix, Clifton, NJ JULY 17th: DCI OPEN CLASS Show, Mulica Hill, NJ AUGUST 3rd: DCI EAST, Allentown, Pa Soundsport Standstill Performance AUGUST 8th: DCI Soundsport, Indianapolis We have an excellent staff, including Larry Kerchner arranging, Matt Krempaskey Brass Caption Head, Matt Savage Percussion Caption Head, Tanner Jones, Guard Caption Head. Our intent is to bring another DCI Drum Corps BACK to New Jersey, that will provide students with an opportunity to perform and gain valuable experience, while establishing our nucleus for the jump to Open Class in the VERY near future. We will have a feature article in an upcoming issue of DRUM CORPS WORLD. They are coming this weekend for pictures and interviews. We rehearse in South Brunswick. Anyone interested in joining us, please fill out the interest for on our site under membership. Thank you very much, and we look forward to seeing you all out there this summer! www.jamwithencorps.org

Judging ensemble balance is the sound of the ensemble that makes it to the judge in the box. Period. If one section overpowers the rest, the ensemble balance should suffer in the judge's evaluation. That is how I have always judged, regardless of whether or not the band used electronics. I have used electronics and amps with the band I teach for 15 years. We try and get the bland and balance right, but sometimes we just mess up....we as staff cringe when it is not good....and we expect the judge to comment and score us appropriately. It usually happens that way. When we get it right...the same...we expect good comments and scores in that area. Now, a sheet is full of criteria to be judged. How much one area of weakness will impact a score is open to interpretation by the judge. I see comments here about bad electronic balance and its impact not being seen in scores....maybe it is...but just maybe the amount one area reflects in the score is not as overwhelming as those who complain want it to be.

Purple floor cobras are scary.

Alright. What a wait.. and how many years you have left ?

Oh gosh lol.... I am dizzy looking at the tarp

We have to be careful with "tools." The playing field isn't level (and never was) with a lot more than amps, mics and mixing boards. We know that some corps get new horns every year while others subsist on hand-me-downs. Some get prime staff and prime talent. BD and SCV can afford to run a corps year to year. Everyone else - everyone else! - struggles every day. The tools have never been distributed equally. That said, I am in total agreement that every tool should be evaluated by the judges on an equal basis. That hasn't been happening. Relying disproportionately on a mic'ed subset of the hornline can't count the same as a hornline in full. Doesn't make sense. HH

Memories for a lifetime, regardless of placement. As we say in BD..."Do it up!"

Big ups and congrats to you!!! Enjoy your summer, and make sure to break in at least 2 good pairs of running/athletic sneakers before you start Spring Training. I guess I'll yell a little louder for all the corps this summer.

Of course, we can ACTUALLY throw babies in the future -- virtual ones, that is.

I think this one should be a no-brainer for most people. Favorite show: 2002 - City Riffs - aka the only Cascades show that ever made Finals HMs: Back in the day, I enjoyed their 2004 (Nature's Confession) and 2005 (Airborne Symphony) shows a lot More recently, I think they are in a definite upswing with great shows in 2015 (Intergalactic), 2016 (O), and 2017 (Set Free). The 2017 show should have been in Semis - it sucks they got left out just because Spartans had a much better color guard Least favorite: I won't pick on their 2009 show as it was their first year back after being inactive, so instead I'll say... 2013 - Inescapable - just a poorly designed show with uninspiring music, sloppy visuals (with only 7 guard members) - the whole show just makes no impact whatsoever

Congrats!!!!! Have a ton of fun and take all the valuable lessons to enrich your life and relationships. Which corp? May I ask.

administration should be made aware early, and if possible, have paperwork from a doctor, and then the staff and food team should be at all times be aware of any special needs

kinda. percussion didnt truly catch up until an upstairs judge was brought back. brass is still judged only at field level. the biggest changes in the sheets were GE, and not necessarily what the sheets said, but how they were judged. that direction comes from......the corps. the judging absolutely needs to change. judges need to be allowed to send messages through their number. I've been crucified doing it in the band world, but man, when i can't hear your winds over the amps, i'm not effected, nor should ensemble blow smoke up your ###. But job security is in not rocking the boat. luckily for me TOB can never have enough judges LOL

Many of the same designers still prominent today were wowing us back when (whenever your personal "wow" eras were). So I think they can... but they choose not to.

They use that tarp to protect the floors. I expect some corps to use a tarp like you describe (ala O'Fallon) this summer. Nothing like that was mentioned this past weekend though... ...but boy did they sound REALLY good! I can't wait to hear them once they've whittled down the hornline more.

Be a sponge! Have the time of your life and all the best to you and your corps!

Way to go! Work hard and be a great leader for others.

I'm predicting them to be in the top 2

I wouldn't consider it a failed experiment. While there were moments in Cadets '17 where the vocalists were unwelcome, there were plenty of moments where they got it right. I'm expecting Cadets to have more freedom of design this year and to have a fantastic show. What both Cadets and Boston did well was to pair good singers with good brass lines. Crown got it wrong by pairing a good singer with an astonishing brass line. With brass that good, it required a singer at the level of Adele or Carrie Underwood. Anything less felt like an insult to that horn line and left the audience feeling deprived.

And your SPECIFIC evidence is what? How do people come up with this nutty stuff? I suspect you are referring to the league who has penalized and fined the Patriots a number of times for their "infractions"? And by the way, this thread is a drum corps thread for the Boston Crusaders not a football thread for NFL conspiracy theorists.

Everything could use more Contra!

Thanks be to God

I don't know. My blender and can opener have already asked about tickets.

My son mentioned this visit AND this comment!! It's a very exciting time to be a Boston Crusader! Their alumni are also said to be extremely kind & supportive!

A friend of mine attended BAC camp in Tampa this weekend and sent me the following message: "Well, I went down to Lakewood Ranch last night and oh my.....you've got a smoking brass line. The book is insane. You guys have really figured iy out. Congrats."

All is well in Crown-land. Great turnout this weekend for the brass and drums. The corps worked through a couple of minutes of show music, and it sounds amazing. Talent level for both sections is consistent with last season, no drop off at all. Still have no idea what the show theme is, and Jim mentioned to the audience that the corps is still working to secure the rights to all of the music. One or two hints, the show will have a lot of power right from the beginning, and the intro will have fans off their seats. And, there are a lot of freaking notes. More than I've heard from Crown, maybe ever. If you are a brass player, you will LOVE what Michael is writing. Thats all folks! Carry on, nothing to see here.